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The Chase Freedom Flex℠ is the latest addition to the Ultimate Rewards family. It has no annual fee and combines some of the best features of the Chase Freedom® (which is now closed to new applicants) and the revamped Chase Freedom Unlimited®.
Like the Freedom Card, the Freedom Flex offers 5% cashback on select categories that change each quarter. However, this new card's earning potential is significantly higher thanks to several bonus categories that we haven't seen before on Freedom cards.
- Earn a $200 Bonus after you spend $500 on purchases in your first 3 months from account opening.
- Earn 5% cash back on grocery store purchases (not including Target® or Walmart® purchases) on up to $12,000 spent in the first year.
- Earn 5% cash back on up to $1,500 in combined purchases in bonus categories each quarter you activate. Enjoy new 5% categories each quarter!
- Earn 5% on Chase travel purchased through Ultimate Rewards®, 3% on dining and drugstores, and 1% on all other purchases.
- No annual fee.
- 0% Intro APR for 15 months from account opening on purchases, then a variable APR of 14.99 - 23.74%.
- No minimum to redeem for cash back. Cash Back rewards do not expire as long as your account is open.
- Earn 5% on up to $1,500 on combined purchases in bonus categories each quarter you activate
- Earn 5% on travel purchased through Chase Ultimate Rewards
- Earn 3% on dining at restaurants, including takeout and eligible delivery services
- Earn 3% on drugstore purchases
- Earn 1% on all other purchases
Chase Freedom Flex Sign-Up Bonus
The Chase Freedom Flex has an identical offer to the Freedom Unlimited. Eligible new cardholders will earn $200 cashback after you spend $500 on purchases in your first 3 months from account opening. Plus, cardholders will earn 5% cashback on up to $12,000 in grocery store purchases (excluding Walmart and Target) in the first year.
The increased earning rate on grocery purchases for your first year of card membership should make the Freedom Flex offer significantly more attractive for many. If you are able to reach the $12,000 spending cap, this translates into earning $600 in cashback.
It's a great offer, but the sign-up bonus on the Freedom Flex is just one part of this card's appeal. This is a card you want for its ability to earn you more points over the long term—without costing anything to keep in your wallet.
Short Term Benefits for Freedom Flex Cardholders
The Chase Freedom Flex also comes with two temporary travel benefits:
- Cardholders earn 5% cashback on all Lyft rides through March 2022.
- Enroll by December 31, 2021 to receive a complimentary three-month DashPass membership from DoorDash.
Cardholders who choose to continue their DashPass membership after the free trial will get a 50% discount for the next nine months.
Chase Freedom Flex Earning Potential
In addition to the increased earning rate on groceries in your first year, the Chase Freedom Flex℠ offers four bonus categories:
- 5% on up to $1,500 in combined purchases each quarter in a rotating quarterly category
- 5% on travel purchased through Chase Ultimate Rewards
- 3% on dining purchases — including dining in, takeout, and eligible delivery services
- 3% on drugstore purchases
- All other purchases earn an unlimited 1% cashback
That means that the Freedom Flex offers many of the same bonus categories as the now-discontinued Freedom Card and the improved Freedom Unlimited. Like the Freedom Card, the Freedom Flex offers a rotating 5% category. And, like the improved Chase Freedom Unlimited®, the Freedom Flex earns 5% on travel through Chase Ultimate Rewards, 3% on dining, and 3% on drugstore purchases.
The only way that the Freedom Flex lags the enhanced Freedom Unlimited is the return on general spending. The improved Freedom Unlimited still earns 1.5% cashback on non-bonus purchases, but the Freedom Flex only earns 1% cashback.
Combine with a Sapphire Card to Maximize Benefits
As with the existing Chase Freedom cards, the cashback earned through the Chase Freedom Flex can be combined with points from other Chase Ultimate Rewards cards. This is great news if you or your spouse/partner have the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card or Chase Sapphire Reserve®.
By combining your Chase points, you can transfer points to 13 Ultimate Rewards airline and hotel partners. Or, you can get a better value when you book travel through the Chase Travel Portal or Pay Yourself Back.
- Our best offer ever! Earn 100,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. That's $1,250 when you redeem through Chase Ultimate Rewards®.
- Earn 2X points on dining including eligible delivery services, takeout and dining out and travel. Plus, earn 1 point per dollar spent on all other purchases.
- Get 25% more value when you redeem for airfare, hotels, car rentals and cruises through Chase Ultimate Rewards®. For example, 100,000 points are worth $1,250 toward travel.
- With Pay Yourself Back℠, your points are worth 25% more during the current offer when you redeem them for statement credits against existing purchases in select, rotating categories
- Get unlimited deliveries with a $0 delivery fee and reduced service fees on eligible orders over $12 for a minimum of one year with DashPass, DoorDash's subscription service. Activate by 12/31/21.
- Count on Trip Cancellation/Interruption Insurance, Auto Rental Collision Damage Waiver, Lost Luggage Insurance and more.
- Get up to $60 back on an eligible Peloton Digital or All-Access Membership through 12/31/2021, and get full access to their workout library through the Peloton app, including cardio, running, strength, yoga, and more. Take classes using a phone, tablet, or TV. No fitness equipment is required.
- 5X points on Lyft rides through March 2022
- 2X points on travel and dining at restaurants worldwide
- 1X point per dollar spent on all other purchases
Check out this post for more details on how to build a team strategy with a Freedom and Sapphire card.
Mastercard World Elite benefits
Despite being a $0 annual fee card, the Chase Freedom Flex is a World Elite Mastercard—which is Mastercard's premium product. That means cardholders enjoy the full suite of World Elite benefits, including:
- Cell phone insurance — pay your cell phone bill with your Freedom Flex to automatically get cell phone protection against theft or damage. Up to $800 per claim and $1,000 per year.
- Lyft — earn a $5 credit for completing three rides in a calendar month
- DoorDash — new members get three free months of DashPass membership; DashPass members get $5 off their first 2 orders per month
- HelloFresh — earn 5% back on every HelloFresh order for use on future purchases
- ShopRunner — get two-day shipping and free return shipping at over a hundred online retailers
- Mastercard ID Theft Protection — get complimentary credit monitoring and ID theft resolution services
This is an incredible set of benefits, particularly for a no-annual-fee card. World Elite credit cards generally include some of the most expensive travel rewards credit cards, such as the $495 annual fee Citi Prestige® Card.
Who's Eligible to Get the Chase Freedom Flex
The Chase Freedom Flex has the same eligibility criteria as Chase's existing Freedom cards. That means you need to have good to excellent credit to be approved for the card.
Also, that means that the Freedom Flex is subject to Chase's 5/24 policy. In short, Chase won't approve you for a new card if you've opened five (or more) new credit cards in the past 24 months. If you're not sure how many you've opened, here's how to check your 5/24 status.
Our Take
Chase made its Freedom card lineup significantly better with a revamp of the Freedom Unlimited and the launch of the Freedom Flex.
The Freedom Flex is especially nice for those who were wary about signing up for both the Freedom Card and the Freedom Unlimited. Rather than trying to learn and maximize two cards, you can get most of the benefits of both cards through the Freedom Flex. Plus, you'll get the World Elite benefits that neither current Freedom card offers.
What do you think about the new Chase Freedom Flex℠?
The comments on this page are not provided, reviewed, or otherwise approved by the bank advertiser. It is not the bank advertiser's responsibility to ensure all posts and/or questions are answered.
I jumped on the freedom before it was set to expire for the sole reason that I frequent Costco a lot and that freedom flex card is useless at Costco unless you go online for all your purchases
cell phone coverage is great but horrible carrier like Verizon take away your auto-pay discount if you use a credit card instead of drafting from your bank account.
Definitely this card will be in my wallet soon
I wish all cards had the cell phone coverage!
Useful addition to the UR portfolio, despite its overlap with other UR cards’ awards categories and benefits (cell phone protection, Door Dash, Lyft), especially since it’s a World Elite MasterCard.
Definitely I’ll give it a try. Besides the cell phone insurance included, I’ll get some benefit from Lyft and DoorDash, two services I have used a lot!
I got the Flex the first week it was available. Tough to pass up the 60k for grocery spend. Also like having a MC in the Chase family again. The cell phone coverage is a big draw too.
So the win here is solely that Flex is a MasterCard while Unlimited is a Visa, and that means a slightly different set of benefits? Am I reading this right?
I wouldn’t say that is the sole reason, but “World Elite” MC has the top tier of benefits, which is rare for a no annual fee card. Still, you probably should only get this card if you can make use of the 5x categories—or the first-year grocery bonus for new card members.
After everything we have gone through together, we can all agree on the beauty of flexibility.
I’m still not understanding how Chase raised the reward rate for dining to match that of the CSR. This already degrades the value of the CSR and then on top of that they raise the CSR’s annual fee by $100?? What executive came up with this plan?
If you’re under 5/24 and don’t have your eye on another Chase card, go for it. The grocery bonus won’t be around forever.
It’s actually interesting that this card has the cell phone insurance included, since none of the other chase UR consumer cards has this offer from what I remember. This would be a good combination with the CSR / CSP if you want to stay on the consumer side, since neither of them offer cell phone insurance. Otherwise, it would be the Ink.
It would be fantastic if they add airline checked baggage protection / insurance as well.
It’s a pity that some of these benefits do’nt apply to Freedom Flex cardholders that are not US residents
So I was reading through this again to make sure I have it all straight. I didn’t see this mentioned in the comments either. Would it be worth applying for the Flex to get the signup bonus and first-year grocery bonus and then cancelling the Freedom rather than requesting a product change? This way you can still upgrade while enjoying the bonus. What would be the drawback to this?
There’s no need to cancel your existing Freedom! You can keep it as is (or product change to the Freedom Unlimited) and apply for the Freedom Flex as a new account to get the sign-up bonus and grocery bonus.
I was happy to see the changes on the Freedom cards. I did think about adding the Freedom Flex and then heard that you can only change over to the card. That you are not able to just apply for it and keep the other Freedom cards. Disappointed. Oh well. Since I have both the FU and F, I will stay with those because I have more credit history with those. It would be nice not to have 2 cards, but I do not want to lose my years with those.
Chase is doubling down while the rest of the competition is sleeping. Good job Chase
How good offer to apply this card but i can’t apply anymore to be limited by 5/24 rule. Sad!
As one who have the current Freedom Unlimited card, has it been confirmed that one can smoothly transfer to the Flex and get the bonus and the other perks?
In order to get the sign-up bonus and grocery spending bonus, you’re going to need to sign-up for the Freedom Flex as a new account. However, you should be able to call Chase to product change from the Freedom Unlimited to the Freedom Flex – if you’d rather have the 5% rotating category rather than 1.5% earning on non-bonus purchases.
Under 5/24… 1 player, have 1 CSR, 2 Freedom, 1 CFU. Trying to decide if I should apply for the flex and cancel 1 freedom card or product change one of my freedoms to flex and skip the sign up bonus? Also any word on if freedom cards will eventually get changed to Flex card?
Chase has told us that legacy Freedom cards will remain intact (unless cardholders request a change). As for signing up vs. product changing, I’m struggling with the same decision (I currently have CSR, CF, CFU). I think it really comes down to whether or not you can get a lot of value from the 5% back on groceries. Between me and player 2, we’ve pretty much got every other Chase card by now, so burning a 5/24 slot isn’t going to be a big deal for me. So, I’m leaning toward signing up for the Freedom Flex and the PC’ing my Freedom later on.
Can we change the product from regular freedom to freedom flex?
Yes. Once the card launches, you can request a product change.
I really hope there is some CSR upgrade of the card now that the flex has dining at 3x. Well see
I mainly use my CSP for dinning to earn 2X points. With this new Flex card and improved Unlimited card earning 3X points on dinning, I think I need reconsidering of paying $95 AF every year. It seems the CSP is losing its values each time new product launched by Chase. They should bring CSP rewards to a better level and make it stand out.
We completely agree. I wouldn’t at all be surprised if the Sapphire Preferred gets some improvements soon.
Looks like this is an improvement over the Discover Card.
Do you see any reason not to product change an old Sapphire (not CSP or CSR) to the Freedom Flex? I also have the CSR, so I don’t use the Sapphire, just keeping it open due to the length of the account.
Thoughts on whether this is worth a 5/24 slot for the 20k UR?
I can’t apply this new card cause by rejected by 5/24 rule of Chase. That’s so bad things.
If you already have the Citi Double Cash card, you really don’t need the 1.5% of the Freedom Unlimited. So, go Flex.
This is great news. Considering how strong the Freedom brand seems to be, I’m kind of surprised it’s a new product with a longer unweildy name rather than a revamp of the OG.
Same. I’m really surprised it’s a new card too.
“… 5% cashback on up to $12,000 in grocery store purchases in the first year …”
Do all purchases made in a grocery store count, including wine, beer, stamps, gift cards, etc.?
Yes, all those purchases should count, assuming you do them at a grocery store Some cards do exclude certain stores – like warehouse clubs that sell groceries – but I don’t believe I’ve ever seen exclusions of any sort within a single bill at an authorized grocery store. The entire amount of the bill is categorized as groceries.
Would already having a Freedom card makes you ineligible for the Flex?
Chase has told us that it’s going to make it very easy for Freedom cardholders to switch to the Flex. Current Freedom cardholders “can request a product trade with no additional application or credit check” starting 9/15.
Can we assume then that any points we’ve accumulated on the current Freedom card will transfer to the Flex?
I think that’s a safe bet based on how you can combine points from all the other cards in the Ultimate Rewards family.
This post has me thinking about upgrading my Freedom to the Flex. I just wouldn’t want to lose the rewards points I’ve already accumulated. I’ll definitely look into it! Thanks!
They better have plans to revamp the CSP and CSR because this just negated and nuetered those cards respectively.
This sounds like an amazing offer.
Am contemplating the effects of product changing from Chase Freedom to this new Chase Freedom Flex versus just adding the Flex card & keeping the Freedom. The only unknown I can see is the rotating quarterly categories. Would anyone know if the categories on each card would be the same or do they vary from card to card? If the categories are different, then its no-brainer to keep both cards.
Can’t wait to see how Chase will enhance the Shapphire Preferred card to justify its hefty annual fee.
A very positive step by chase and at same time raises many questions.
1) It makes a AF card CSP completely useless which everyone can sign for bonus and downgrade or just for additional benefit of transferring points.
2) CSR is half useless as CSF gives 3x on dining. Expecting a revamp of CSP and CSR soon for additional benefits.
3) chase freedom and CFF will it share same bonus categories? And will a new bonus be applicable for freedom users?
4) this is not related to chase, but expecting amex to ramp up and match chase here.
1. I would argue that the CSP is a lot more useful now – if only as a way to make all of your Freedom earnings transferrable points.
2. Agreed. The CSR is really taken a few beatings between the increased annual fee and now the 3X earning rates being matched or trumped by the Freedom Flex/Unlimited.
3. Not sure yet! So far we just know that both will have rotating quarterly categories.
4. Hope so!
If we product change from Freedom Unlimited to Flex, we won’t get the 5% back on groceries, right? That’s part of the SUB?
Sorry- clarification: If we product change from Freedom to Flex we won’t get the 5% back on groceries, right? That’s part of the SUB? (I have the Freedom)
That’s probably the case, but we aren’t sure of that yet.
As another poster said, the WE Benefits on a non-fee card is impressive.
I have the trifecta of the Sapphire Preferred, Freedom Unlimited, and just got the Freedom this month. These cards are now significantly better, and I certainly plan on giving Chase a call to verify if I can product change the Freedom to the Freedom Flex! This is an amazing upgrade, although now the cards are overpowered compared to the Sapphire Preferred, which certainly should have an update coming to justify its role. As it stands now, there’s virtually no reason for me to upgrade to the Reserve, as I can get better earning power with the current setup for far less.
These upgrades enable me to use the Trifecta effectively anytime I go out to dine. I don’t have airline status, so the 5x back on the Chase Travel Portal is a game-changer, especially for beginners & airline agnostics. These updates just killed all my reasons for getting Wells Fargo Propel after 5/24.
Great point that this makes upgrading to the CSR a lot less valuable. And, I checked with Chase. You will be able to product change your Freedom to the Freedom Flex without an application or credit pull.
Sapphire still the hands-down winner of ALL travel cards, though, if you use URs on the travel portal. That extra 33% makes a huge difference towards independent, boutique hotel stays and flights costing less (esp now) than the cash value of a points purchase.
Thanks for the follow-up comment, JT. I believe what your’e saying, and when I sent an SM to Chase, it became apparent that Chase customer service is still getting up to speed on the new card’s rules. Either way, it’s no loss. I have the Unlimited, and get all of the new powers through that channel. I can wait to PC to the Flex next August, after I’ve taken full advantage of the 5x grocery SUB on the (obsolete) Freedom. 🙂
I’m a noob, but IMO the Chase trifecta setup is awesome in the early game. I’d like your input on my thought here: I am considering the BofA Travel Rewards card down the road to fill a small gap in this setup (post-Chase). It would cover the miscellaneous travel purchases which fall outside of Chase’s travel definitions, without the FTF which dogs the Freedoms.
Oh yes, it’s going to be a while before the frontline folks are up to speed. I’ve been working directly with the Chase media reps and the GM of Freedom cards on our questions 🙂
Interesting idea. I’m not sure if I’d get the BoA Travel Rewards card just for these non-bonus foreign transactions. I generally just use my CSR and earn 1x UR points in these cases. But, it’s all about what works for you!
What are the other 2 cards from Chase you have to strengthen your “trifecta”?
I currently have no freedom cards and the Sapphire Reserve card. Would you recommend getting the Flex or the Freedom Unlimited? Thanks!
Good question! I would get the Flex in that situation as you’ll get a unique set of benefits with Mastercard World Elite and the rotating 5X category. However, if you have substantial non-bonus spending, the extra 0.5X on the Freedom Unlimited may make it a better solution for your situation.
It’s interesting that Chase opted to include the World Elite MasterCard benefits on a card without an annual fee. I might have to pick up the Freedom Flex for the cell phone insurance alone.
It definitely is! That’s why I made sure to clarify that this wasn’t a “stripped-down” version of World Elite. Sure enough, it includes all of the World Elite benefits!
Has Chase mentioned whether the rotating 5% categories will be different from or the same as the Freedom?
They haven’t said yet, but I’ll ask.
Only for US residents
Will the new Chase flex card have the same trip cancellation and interruption insurance that both Chase Sapphire cards currently have?
It will be different as it’s through Mastercard World Elite instead of Visa Signature/Infinite. However, I checked with Chase and they confirmed that the Freedom Flex will have the World Elite Mastercard travel protections.
What’s the best way to get Chase points for buying groceries? We currently use the Amex Everyday preferred card, but I’d like to combine all my points efforts into Chase and stop carrying my Amex Platinum card.
Thx!
Unfortunately, Chase isn’t very strong on buying groceries unless you or a family member can take advantage of the current Freedom Unlimited offer or upcoming Freedome Flex offer for the first year. It can be quite helpful to keep at least one Amex card open so you have access to their transfer partners. I’d at least consider keeping Everyday Preferred for use on groceries until Chase comes up with a long-term grocery bonus card.
Hey, not bad at all. Looks tempting. Note, being a Mastercard it won’t be accepted at Costco though.
Yeah, I was reminded of that the hard way the other day when trying to spend toward a sign-up bonus on a Mastercard 🙁
3x drugstores is fantastic addition – lots of gift cards there cannot find at office supply stores. Chase continues to lead in innovation.
Do you know if URs will be worth .05 in redemption value on the travel portal?
Points earned through the Chase Freedom Flex will be redeemable for 1 cent each toward statement credits or travel. But, you can combine the points with Ultimate Rewards points earned through the CSR or CSP to get a higher value.
Another great chase card to add to my collection or one to downgrade to!
This is amazing! Are you eligible to get the sign on bonus if you already have a Chase Freedom card?
We aren’t sure of those terms quite yet. I’m guessing that they will be revealed closer to the launch.
I was going to ask the same question. Though I suspect that you won’t, I would like to hear definitively. Being able to product change to the Flex without a hard pull might be a nice consolation, however, though it seems to me that in order to keep the regular Freedom compelling, they might skimp on the rotating categories for the Flex. I’ll wait and see.
WOOT WOOT WOOT. This will be a game changer for me. The drugstore benefit alone is fantastic. While this changes my application schedule, it will be worth it. . Hopefully a product change will be possible right off the bat for those who have multiple CF & CFU and otherwise will not qualify.
Agreed. These are some awesome changes! And yes, Chase has confirmed that current CF cardholders will be able to product change to the CFF without a credit check or application. You’ll just need to call starting 9/15 to request it.
Appealing addition to the UR cards portfolio!
What’s about foreign transaction fees?
I checked with Chase. There will be 3% foreign transaction fees on the Freedom Flex.
It looks to me that soon Chase will replace the Freedom Card with this new Flex. No point holding the Old Freedom.
This is a good card to get. I just wish they give 1.5% or even 2% on all other purchases to make this the go to card for all purchases.
Just get the Citi Double Cash card in addition to the two Chase cards. The Double Cash card gives 2% on all purchases and has no annual fee.
Pair it with a CSP or CSR and transfer the points over.
Any comment from Chase on forex fees (if any) for this card?
Same as the other Freedom cards, 3%.
I had hoped maybe the Mastercard lineage would’ve affected the forex. Too bad it didn’t.